Smoking article with reduced tobacco smell and method of manufacturing the same

ABSTRACT

A smoking article with a reduced tobacco smell and a method of manufacturing the same are provided. The smoking article according to some embodiments of the present disclosure may include a smoking material portion, which includes a tobacco material, and a filter portion, wherein the tobacco material may include a material formed by processing tobacco leaves whose nicotine content is 0.5 wt % or lower. In this case, the nicotine component and nitrogen compounds, which are major causes of a tobacco smell, are reduced from tobacco smoke, and thus a tobacco smell of smoke generated during smoking can be significantly reduced.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a smoking article with a reduced tobacco smell and a method of manufacturing the same, and more particularly, to a smoking article to which low-nicotine tobacco leaves are applied to reduce a tobacco smell of smoke generated during smoking and a method of manufacturing the same.

BACKGROUND ART

Tobacco smoke generated during smoking lingers on the hand of a smoker who grips a filter portion and may cause discomfort due to the smell not only to the smoker but also to those around the smoker. Accordingly, smokers usually wash their hands after smoking to remove the tobacco smell lingering on their hands.

However, smokers may not always be able to wash their hands after smoking, and having to wash hands after smoking each time may be quite cumbersome.

Therefore, there is a need to develop a cigarette capable of minimizing a tobacco smell lingering on hands even after smoking.

DISCLOSURE Technical Problem

Some embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to providing a smoking article with a reduced tobacco smell and a method of manufacturing the same.

Objectives of the present disclosure are not limited to the above-mentioned objectives, and other unmentioned objectives should be clearly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains from the description below.

Technical Solution

Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a smoking article including a smoking material portion, which includes a tobacco material, and a filter portion, wherein the tobacco material may include a first material formed by processing tobacco leaves whose nicotine content is 0.5 wt % or lower.

In some embodiments, the tobacco material may include 10 wt % to 40 wt % of the first material.

In some embodiments, the nicotine content of the tobacco leaves may be 0.1 wt % or lower.

In some embodiments, the tobacco material may further include a second material formed by processing other tobacco leaves whose nicotine content is 1.0 wt % or higher.

In some embodiments, a weight ratio of the first material to the second material may be in a range of 1:1 to 1:9.

In some embodiments, the nicotine content of the tobacco leaves may be 0.2 wt % or lower, and the nicotine content of the other tobacco leaves may be 1.5 wt % or higher.

Advantageous Effects

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a tobacco material added to a smoking article may be produced using tobacco leaves with low nicotine content. The tobacco material can reduce the nicotine component and nitrogen compounds, which are major causes of a tobacco smell, from tobacco smoke and reduce the tobacco smell in the smoke. Also, accordingly, a tobacco smell that lingers on a body of a smoker can be significantly reduced, and a problem of causing discomfort to those around the smoker due to the tobacco smell can be significantly mitigated.

In addition, a tobacco material can be produced by mixing tobacco leaves with low nicotine content and general tobacco leaves at an appropriate ratio. For example, tobacco leaves with low nicotine content and general tobacco leaves may be mixed at a ratio in a range of about 1:1.5 to 1:4. In this case, the tobacco smell can be reduced, and simultaneously, a decrease in a tobacco smoke taste intensity perceived by the smoker can be minimized.

The advantageous effects according to the technical spirit of the present disclosure are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned advantageous effects should be clearly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art from the description below.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exemplary view schematically illustrating a smoking article according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary view for describing a smoking article according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary view for describing a smoking article according to still some other embodiments of the present disclosure.

MODES OF THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Advantages and features of the present disclosure and methods of achieving the same should become clear from embodiments described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the technical spirit of the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments and may be implemented in various different forms. The following embodiments only make the technical spirit of the present disclosure complete and are provided to completely inform those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains of the scope of the disclosure. The technical spirit of the present disclosure is defined only by the scope of the claims.

In assigning reference numerals to components of each drawing, it should be noted that the same reference numerals are assigned to the same components where possible even when the components are illustrated in different drawings. Also, in describing the present disclosure, when detailed description of a known related configuration or function is deemed as having the possibility of obscuring the gist of the present disclosure, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms including technical or scientific terms used in this specification have the same meaning as commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries should not be construed in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein. Terms used in this specification are for describing the embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. In this specification, a singular expression includes a plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

Also, in describing components of the present disclosure, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), and (b) may be used. Such terms are only used for distinguishing one component from another component, and the essence, order, sequence, or the like of the corresponding component is not limited by the terms. In a case in which a certain component is described as being “connected,” “coupled,” or “linked” to another component, it should be understood that, although the component may be directly connected or linked to the other component, still another component may also be “connected,” “coupled,” or “linked” between the two components.

The terms “comprises” and/or “comprising” used herein do not preclude the possibility of presence or addition of one or more components, steps, operations, and/or devices other than those mentioned.

First, some terms used in various embodiments of the present disclosure will be clarified.

In the following embodiments, “smoking article” may refer to any product that can be smoked or any product that can provide a smoking experience, regardless of whether the product is based on tobacco, tobacco derivatives, expanded tobacco, reconstituted tobacco, or tobacco substitutes. For example, smoking articles may include products that can be smoked, such as a cigarette, a cigar, and a cigarillo. As another example, smoking articles may include a combustion-type smoking article and a heating-type smoking article.

In the following embodiments, “smoking material” may refer to any material that generates smoke and/or an aerosol or is used in smoking. For example, the smoking material may include a tobacco material. For example, the tobacco material may include pieces of tobacco leaves, tobacco stems, or materials obtained by processing the pieces of tobacco leaves or tobacco stems. As a more specific example, the tobacco material may include ground tobacco leaves, ground reconstituted tobacco, expanded shredded tobacco, expanded tobacco midribs, and reconstituted tobacco leaves but is not limited thereto.

In the following embodiments, “upstream” or “upstream direction” may refer to a direction moving away from an oral region of a smoker, and “downstream” or “downstream direction” may refer to a direction approaching the oral region of the smoker. The terms “upstream” and “downstream” may be used to describe relative positions of elements constituting a smoking article. For example, in a smoking article 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 , a filter portion 120 is disposed downstream of or in a downstream direction from a smoking material portion 110, and the smoking material portion 110 is disposed upstream of or in an upstream direction from the filter portion 120.

In the following embodiments, “longitudinal direction” may refer to a direction corresponding to a longitudinal axis of a smoking article.

In the following embodiments, “puff” refers to inhalation by a smoker, and the inhalation may be a situation in which a smoker draws smoke into his or her oral cavity, nasal cavity, or lungs through the mouth or nose.

In the following embodiments, “sheet” may refer to a thin layer component whose width and length are substantially larger than a thickness thereof. The term “sheet” may be interchangeably used with the term “web” or “film” in the art.

In the following embodiments, “flavor sheet” or “flavoring sheet” may refer to a flavoring-containing material produced in the form of a sheet.

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a tobacco material (e.g., shredded tobacco leaves, shredded reconstituted tobacco leaves, reconstituted tobacco leaves, expanded shredded tobacco, etc.) added to a smoking article may be produced using tobacco leaves with a low nicotine content (hereinafter referred to as “low-nicotine tobacco leaves”). Since the nicotine component is a major component that causes a tobacco smell from smoke (e.g., sidestream smoke, mainstream smoke) coming out through an end of a smoking article or perforations thereof, when low-nicotine tobacco leaves are used, the tobacco smell can be significantly reduced. Further, when the low-nicotine tobacco leaves are used, content of nitrogen compounds (e.g., pyridine and the like), which are a major cause of a tobacco smell, in smoke can also be reduced (refer to Experimental Example 1).

The low-nicotine tobacco leaves may refer to tobacco leaves in which nicotine content (e.g., nicotine content in leaves) is lower than in general tobacco leaves (e.g., a common breed of tobacco leaves). For example, the low-nicotine tobacco leaves may refer to tobacco leaves whose nicotine content is lower than or equal to about 1.0 wt %, 0.5 wt %, 0.3 wt %, 0.2 wt %, or 0.1 wt %. The low-nicotine tobacco leaves may be obtained using various methods such as crossbreeding and nicotine reduction treatment and may be obtained using any method. The general tobacco leaves may refer to tobacco leaves whose nicotine content is higher than or equal to about 1.0 wt %, 1.5 wt %, 2.0 wt %, 3.0 wt %, or 4.0 wt %.

Table 1 below shows a comparison of nicotine content in low-nicotine tobacco leaves and general tobacco leaves grown through crossbreeding. As shown in Table 1, it can be seen that, at the same stalk position, nicotine content of the low-nicotine tobacco leaves is lower than in the general tobacco leaves by about 60% to 90% or more.

TABLE 1 Nicotine content (when dried) Classification Stalk position (wt %) Low-nicotine bright Thick leaf 0.04 tobacco leaves Thin leaf 0.05 General bright Thick leaf 3.36 tobacco leaves Thin leaf 1.35 Low-nicotine burley Thick leaf 0.56 tobacco leaves Thin leaf 0.29 General burley Thick leaf 5.48 tobacco leaves Thin leaf 1.60

Hereinafter, for convenience of description, the term “tobacco leaves” will be used as a concept that includes not only tobacco leaves in a raw material state but also a tobacco material (e.g., shredded tobacco leaves, reconstituted tobacco leaves, expanded shredded tobacco, etc.) formed by processing (e.g., treating, expanding, reconstituting, drying, etc.) the tobacco leaves. Therefore, “low-nicotine tobacco leaves” may be understood as a concept that includes a tobacco material formed by processing low-nicotine tobacco leaves, and “general tobacco leaves” may be understood as a concept that includes a tobacco material formed by processing general tobacco leaves.

Although a tobacco smell will be reduced with an increase in the amount of added low-nicotine tobacco leaves, a tobacco smoke taste intensity may decrease due to a decrease in the amount of transferred nicotine. Therefore, it may be preferable to produce a tobacco material (that is, a tobacco blend) by mixing general tobacco leaves and low-nicotine tobacco leaves at an appropriate ratio.

In some embodiments, a tobacco material may include low-nicotine tobacco leaves by about 50 wt % or less and may include low-nicotine tobacco leaves by about 10 wt % to 50 wt %, 10 wt % to 40 wt %, 20 wt % to 40 wt %, or 20 wt % to 30 wt %. Also, general tobacco leaves and subsidiary materials may fill the remaining proportion of the tobacco material. It was confirmed that within such numerical ranges, a tobacco smell reduction effect and an appropriate intensity of a tobacco smoke taste are simultaneously ensured. Refer to Experimental Example 2 below for experimental results relating thereto.

In some embodiments, a weight ratio (that is, a mixing ratio) of low-nicotine tobacco leaves to general tobacco leaves may be in a range of about 1:1 to 1:9 and may be in a range of about 1:1 to 1:8, 1:1 to 1:7, 1:1.5 to 1:6, 1:1.5 to 1:5, 1:1.5 to 1:4, 1:1.5 to 1:3, or 1:1.5 to 1:2. It was confirmed that within such numerical ranges, a tobacco smell reduction effect and an appropriate intensity of a tobacco smoke taste are simultaneously ensured. Refer to Experimental Example 2 below for experimental results relating thereto.

Also, in some embodiments, a tobacco material may be produced by mixing low-nicotine tobacco leaves whose nicotine content is 0.2 wt % or lower and general tobacco leaves whose nicotine content is 1.5 wt % or higher. However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, a smoking article may be manufactured using the above-described tobacco material (that is, the tobacco material to which the low-nicotine tobacco leaves are added). The manufactured smoking article can guarantee an appropriate intensity of a tobacco smoke taste and a reduced tobacco smell. Hereinafter, such a smoking article will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is an exemplary view schematically illustrating the smoking article 100 with a reduced tobacco smell according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

As illustrated in FIG. 1 , the smoking article 100 may include the filter portion 120, the smoking material portion 110, and a wrapper 130. However, only the components relating to the embodiment of the present disclosure are illustrated in FIG. 1 . Therefore, those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains should understand that the smoking article 100 may further include general-purpose components other than the components illustrated in FIG. 1 . Also, FIG. 1 only illustrates some examples of smoking articles according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, and thus, of course, a specific structure of the smoking article may be changed from that illustrated in FIG. 1 . Hereinafter, each component of the smoking article 100 will be described.

The filter portion 120 may perform a function of filtering smoke and/or an aerosol generated from the smoking material portion 110. To this end, the filter portion 120 may include a filter material. Examples of the filter material may include a cellulose acetate fiber, paper, etc., but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and any filter material widely known in the art may be applied to the filter portion 120 without limitations. The filter portion 120 may further include the wrapper 130 that wraps around the filter material (plug).

The filter portion 120 may be disposed downstream of the smoking material portion 110 and connected to a downstream end of the smoking material portion 110. For example, the filter portion 120 and the smoking material portion 110 may have a cylindrical shape (a rod shape), may be aligned in the longitudinal axis direction, and may be connected by a tipping wrapper. The tipping wrapper may wrap around at least a portion of the filter portion 120 and at least a portion of the smoking material portion 110 together to connect the filter portion 120 and the smoking material portion 110. In a case in which the filter portion 120 forms a downstream end of the smoking article 100, the filter portion 120 may also serve as a mouthpiece that comes into contact with the oral region of the smoker.

Since the filter portion 120 is produced in the form of a rod, the filter portion 120 may be referred to as “filter rod 120” in some cases and may be produced in various shapes such as a cylindrical shape, a tubular shape including a hollow therein, and a recessed shape. Also, the filter portion 120 may be provided to have a single-filter-segment structure or a multi-filter-segment structure or may include a cavity. A specific structure of the filter portion 120 may be modified in various ways.

Next, the smoking material portion 110 may include a smoking material that can generate smoke and/or an aerosol when combusted or heated. The smoking material portion 110 may further include the wrapper 130 that wraps around the smoking material.

The smoking material portion 110 may be disposed upstream of the filter portion 120 and connected to an upstream end of the filter portion 120. The smoke and/or aerosol generated from the smoking material portion 110 may be delivered to the oral region of the smoker via the filter portion 120 by a puff.

Since the smoking material portion 110 is also produced in the form of a rod, the smoking material portion 110 may be referred to as “smoking material rod 110” in some cases.

The smoking material may include a tobacco material. For example, the tobacco material may include tobacco leaves, tobacco stems, or materials obtained by processing the tobacco leaves or tobacco stems. However, the tobacco material is not limited thereto. Also, the tobacco material may have the form of shredded tobacco (e.g., shredded tobacco leaves, shredded reconstituted tobacco leaves, etc.), tobacco particles, tobacco sheets, tobacco beads, tobacco granules, or tobacco extracts, but the tobacco material is not limited thereto.

Also, the tobacco material may be produced by adding low-nicotine tobacco leaves. For example, as described above, the tobacco material may be produced by adding low-nicotine tobacco leaves in an appropriate proportion. In this case, the nicotine component and nitrogen compounds such as pyridine and picoline which are major causes of a tobacco smell from smoke (e.g., sidestream smoke, mainstream smoke) generated during smoking may be reduced, and as a result, a problem that a tobacco smell lingers on the smoker's body (e.g., hands, mouth, etc.) can be significantly alleviated. Further, a problem of causing discomfort to those around the smoker due to the tobacco smell can also be significantly alleviated. Alternatively, the tobacco material may be a tobacco blend produced by mixing low-nicotine tobacco leaves and general tobacco leaves at an appropriate ratio. In this case, a tobacco smell of smoke generated during smoking can be reduced, and simultaneously, an appropriate tobacco smoke taste intensity can also be ensured.

In some embodiments, the smoking material may further include an additive such as a wetting agent (a moisturizer), a flavoring agent, and/or an organic acid. For example, the wetting agent may include at least one of glycerin, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, and oleyl alcohol. The wetting agent may maintain moisture in the tobacco material at an optimum level and thus soften the inherent flavor and produce a large amount of vapor. Also, for example, the flavoring agent may include licorice, saccharose, fructose syrup, isosweet, cocoa, lavender, cinnamon, cardamom, celery, fenugreek, cascarilla, white sandalwood, bergamot, geranium, honey essence, rose oil, vanilla, lemon oil, orange oil, mint oil, cinnamon, caraway, cognac, jasmine, chamomile, menthol, cinnamon, ylang-ylang, sage, spearmint, ginger, cilantro, a clove extract (or a clove material), coffee, or the like.

Next, the wrapper 130 may refer to a wrapper that wraps around at least a portion of the smoking material portion 110 and/or the filter portion 120. The wrapper 130 may refer to a separate wrapper of the smoking material portion 110 or the filter portion 120 or may refer to a wrapper, such as a tipping wrapper, that wraps around at least a portion of the smoking material portion 110 and at least a portion of the filter portion 120 together. The wrapper 130 may also collectively refer to all wrappers used in the smoking article 100. The wrapper 130 may be made of porous or nonporous wrapping paper, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the wrapper 130 may be made of a metal foil or have a form in which wrapping paper and a metal foil are laminated with each other.

The smoking article 100 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure has been described above with reference to FIG. 1 . Hereinafter, a smoking article 200 according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. 2 . However, for clarity of the present disclosure, description of contents overlapping with the previous embodiments will be omitted.

As illustrated in FIG. 2 , the present embodiment relates to the smoking article 200 that can further prevent a tobacco smell from lingering on the smoker's hand by using a flavoring sheet 240.

As illustrated, the smoking article 200 may include a filter portion 220, a smoking material portion 210, and a wrapper 230. The filter portion 220 and the smoking material portion 210 may respectively correspond to the filter portion 120 and the smoking material portion 110 described above, and thus description of the filter portion 220 and the smoking material portion 210 will be omitted.

The flavoring sheet 240 may be disposed on the wrapper 230 wrapping around the filter portion 220. For example, the flavoring sheet 240 may be disposed on an outer surface of the wrapper 230 that corresponds to a grip portion. In this case, due to a flavor expressed from the flavoring sheet 240, a tobacco smell can be prevented from lingering on the hand. However, a specific way in which the flavoring sheet 240 is disposed may vary.

As an example, the flavoring sheet 240 may be attached to the outer surface of the wrapper 230. For instance, the flavoring sheet 240 may be attached to the outer surface of the wrapper 230 through a laminating process. Alternatively, the flavoring sheet 240 may be disposed on the outer surface of the wrapper 230 through a coating process in which a composition of the flavoring sheet 240 is applied on the wrapper 230 and dried. Here, a coating thickness of the sheet composition may be less than or equal to about 100 μm and may be less than or equal to about 90 μm, 80 μm, 70 μm, 60 μm, or 50 μm. Within such numerical ranges, the wrapper 230 can be prevented from becoming too thick, and appropriate flexibility can be secured.

As another example, the flavoring sheet 240 may serve as the wrapper 230. That is, at least a portion of the wrapper 230 may be made of the flavoring sheet 240.

In some embodiments, a smell-reducing material may be applied on the outer surface of the wrapper 230 or the flavoring sheet 240. In this case, it is possible to further prevent a tobacco smell from lingering on the smoker's hand. Examples of the smell-reducing material may include a green tea extract containing catechins as the main component, citric acid, glycerol, tannic acid, p-cyclodextrin, or a mixture thereof, but the smell-reducing material is not limited thereto.

Hereinafter, in order to provide convenience of understanding, additional description of the flavoring sheet 240 will be given.

The flavoring sheet 240 according to embodiments may be produced through a step in which a sheet composition is produced in a liquid phase (e.g., a slurry form) and a step in which the produced sheet composition is molded into the form of a sheet and dried. Here, the liquid phase may not only include a liquid form but also include a form in which a liquid and a solid are mixed (e.g., a slurry form). For example, the flavoring sheet 240 may be produced by casting a sheet composition on a predetermined substrate and drying the sheet composition. However, a method of producing the flavoring sheet 240 is not limited thereto, and the flavoring sheet 240 may be produced using other methods.

A specific composition of the sheet composition may be designed in various ways.

In some embodiments, the sheet composition may include a solvent such as distilled water or ethanol, a hydrocolloid material, and a flavoring. The flavoring sheet 240 produced from the sheet composition may hold a large amount of flavor. Further, due to the hydrocolloid material, the flavoring sheet 240 can be attached to a wrapper (e.g., 230) without a separate adhesive (that is, since the flavoring sheet 240 has a property of becoming sticky when a liquid such as water or alcohol is sprayed thereon, the flavoring sheet 240 can be attached to the wrapper 230 without an adhesive), and thus, a process of placing the flavoring sheet 240 may be simplified, and the flavoring sheet 240 may be free from a safety problem due to an adhesive.

The solvent such as distilled water or ethanol may be a component for controlling the viscosity of the slurry-type sheet composition.

The hydrocolloid material may be a material for covering and fixing the flavoring and may be a sheet-forming agent for forming a sheet. Examples of the hydrocolloid material may include gelatin, agar, gellan gum, pectin, guar gum, xanthan gum, glucomannan, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), methyl cellulose (MC), ethyl cellulose (EC), carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), and starch, but the hydrocolloid material is not limited thereto.

Examples of the flavoring may include menthol, a natural vegan flavoring (e.g., cinnamon, sage, herb, chamomile, kudzu, amacha, clove, lavender, cardamom, clove, nutmeg, bergamot, geranium, honey essence, rose oil, lemon, orange, cinnamon, caraway, jasmine, ginger, coriander, vanilla extract, spearmint, peppermint, cassia, coffee, celery, cascarilla, sandalwood, cocoa, ylang-ylang, fennel, anise, licorice, St. John's bread, plum extract, peach extract, etc.), sugars (e.g., glucose, fructose, isomerized sugar, caramel, etc.), cocoa (e.g., powder, extract, etc.), esters (e.g., isoamyl acetate, linalyl acetate, isoamyl propionate, linalyl butyrate, etc.), ketones (e.g., menthone, ionone, damascenone, ethyl maltol, etc.), alcohols (e.g., geraniol, linalool, anetol, eugenol, etc.), aldehydes (e.g., vanillin, benzaldehyde, anisaldehyde, etc.), lactones, (e.g., γ-undecalactone, γ-nonalactone, etc.), an animal flavoring (e.g., musk, ambergris, civet, castoreum, etc.), and hydrocarbons (e.g., limonene, pinene, etc.). The flavoring may be used in a solid state or may be used by being dissolved or dispersed in an appropriate solvent, e.g., propylene glycol, ethyl alcohol, benzyl alcohol, or triethyl citrate. Also, a flavoring that is easily dispersed in a solvent by addition of an emulsifier, e.g., a hydrophobic flavoring or an oil-soluble flavoring, may be used. These flavorings may be used alone or used in a mixture. However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited by the examples described above.

In some embodiments, the sheet composition may include modified cellulose among various hydrocolloid materials. Here, “modified cellulose” may refer to cellulose in which a specific functional group is substituted in a molecular structure. Examples of modified cellulose may include HPMC, MC, CMC, and EC, but modified cellulose is not limited thereto. For example, HPMC may have a grade in a range of about 4 to 40000 according to a proportion and molecular weight in which a hydroxypropyl group and a methyl group (or methoxy group) are substituted. The viscosity of modified cellulose may be determined according to the grade. More specifically, physicochemical characteristics of HPMC relate to a proportion of the methoxy group and a proportion and molecular weight of the hydroxypropyl group, and according to The United States Pharmacopeial Convention (USP), types of HPMC may be classified into HPMC1828, HPMC2208, HPMC2906, HPMC2910, and the like according to proportions of the methoxy group and hydroxypropyl group. Here, the first two numbers may refer to a proportion of the methoxy group, and the last two numbers may refer to a proportion of the hydroxypropyl group. As a result of continuous experiments by the inventors of the present disclosure, the flavoring sheet 240 produced from the sheet composition including modified cellulose was confirmed as having excellent physical properties and holding a large amount of flavor.

Also, in some embodiments, the sheet composition may further include low methoxyl pectin (LM-pectin). LM-pectin is a low ester pectin or low methoxyl pectin in which relatively little esterification is performed. Specifically, LM-pectin may be pectin that contains a carboxyl group by less than about 50% in a molecular structure. Due to having a characteristic of not gelating when cooled unlike carrageenan, LM-pectin may lower the viscosity of the slurry-type sheet composition (e.g., to about 600 cp to 800 cp). Further, since it is possible to produce the slurry-type sheet composition without an emulsifier, a safety problem due to an emulsifier does not occur.

LM-pectin may contain a carboxyl group by less than about 50%, less than about 40%, less than about 30%, less than about 20%, or less than about 10% in a molecular structure. The lower the carboxyl group content in the molecular structure of LM-pectin, the lower the viscosity of a slurry including LM-pectin.

Also, in some embodiments, the sheet composition may further include a bulking agent. The bulking agent may be a material that increases the total mass of components other than distilled water (that is, dry mass) to increase the volume of the flavoring sheet 240 being produced but does not affect the original function of the flavoring sheet 240. Specifically, the bulking agent may have characteristics of increasing the volume of the flavoring sheet 240 but not adversely affecting the flavoring retaining function of the flavoring sheet 240 while not substantially increasing the viscosity of the slurry. The bulking agent may be starch, modified starch, or starch hydrolysate (e.g., dextrin, cyclodextrin) but is not limited thereto.

Also, in some embodiments, the sheet composition may further include a plasticizer. The plasticizer may impart appropriate flexibility to the flavoring sheet 240 to improve physical properties of the sheet. For example, the plasticizer may include at least one of glycerin and propylene glycol but is not limited thereto.

Also, in some embodiments, the sheet composition may further include an emulsifier. The emulsifier may allow a highly fat-soluble flavoring and a water-soluble hydrocolloid material to be mixed well and increase the amount of flavor held in the flavoring sheet 240. An example of the emulsifier may include lecithin, but the emulsifier is not limited thereto.

Meanwhile, the flavoring sheet 240 produced from the sheet composition described above may have various composition ratios.

In some embodiments, the flavoring sheet 240 may include, with respect to a total of 100 parts by weight, about 2 to about 15 parts by weight of moisture, about 25 to about 90 parts by weight of modified cellulose, and about 0.1 to about 60 parts by weight of flavoring.

Also, in some embodiments, the flavoring sheet 240 may include, with respect to a total of 100 parts by weight, about 2 to about 15 parts by weight of moisture, about 1 to about 60 parts by weight of hydrocolloid material, about 1 to about 60 parts by weight of LM-pectin, and about 0.1 to about 60 parts by weight of flavoring.

In some embodiments, with respect to a total of 100 parts by weight of the flavoring sheet 240, the plasticizer may be included by as much as about 0.1 to about 15 parts by weight. Within such numerical ranges, a sheet having appropriate flexibility can be formed. For example, in a case in which the amount of added plasticizer is too small, flexibility of the sheet may be decreased and thus the flavoring sheet may be easily damaged during processing. On the other hand, if the amount of added plasticizer is too large, the sheet may not be formed well.

The smoking article 200 according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure has been described above with reference to FIG. 2 . Hereinafter, a smoking article 300 according to still some other embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. 3 .

As illustrated in FIG. 3 , the present embodiment relates to the smoking article 300 in which finger care zones 341 to 343 are formed on an outer surface of a wrapper 330 of a filter portion 320.

As illustrated, the smoking article 300 may include the filter portion 320, a smoking material portion 310, and the wrapper 330. The filter portion 320 and the smoking material portion 310 may respectively correspond to the filter portion 220 and the smoking material portion 210 described above, and thus description of the filter portion 320 and the smoking material portion 310 will be omitted.

The finger care zones 341 to 343 may be formed on the outer surface of the wrapper 330 of the filter portion 320. For example, the finger care zones 341 to 343 may be formed within a grip area 340 of the wrapper 330. Hereinafter, for convenience of description, the finger care zones 341 to 343 will be shortened to “care zones 341 to 343.” Also, the reference numeral “341” will be used as a numeral that represents the plurality of care zones 341 to 343.

For example, the care zones 341 may be formed by applying ink and microcapsules that contain a functional material. Here, the ink may serve to visually convey information on characteristics of the care zones 341, such as the positions of the care zones 341 and the types of care functions thereof, to the smoker, and the microcapsules may provide a finger care function to the smoker. For example, a functional material may be discharged as the microcapsules are crushed when a finger of the smoker rubs against the care zones 341, and as the discharged functional material naturally comes into contact with the smoker's finger, a finger care effect can be achieved. Therefore, a specific care function of the care zones 341 may be determined according to the type of functional material.

Examples of the functional material include an antibacterial material, a deodorizing material, a perfuming material, a disinfecting material, a smell-reducing material, and the like, but the functional material is not limited thereto.

Also, examples of the antibacterial material may include grapefruit extract, lime oil, eucalyptus oil, pine needle oil, eucalyptol, limonene, and propolis, but the antibacterial material is not limited thereto.

In some embodiments, the care zones 341 may be formed by applying a composition including the ink and the microcapsules by using an off-set printing method. The off-set printing method is an indirect printing method that uses the repulsion between water and oil and may minimize crushing of the microcapsules as compared to other printing methods such as gravure printing. For example, the off-set printing method may minimize crushing of the microcapsules due to smoking articles 300 rubbing against each other in a smoking article case.

Also, in some embodiments, each microcapsule may further contain a material that can change a color or color density of the ink, in addition to containing the functional material. For example, the microcapsule may further contain a diluting material that can change the color density of the ink by diluting the ink. In this case, since the color or color density of the ink gradually changes as the microcapsules are crushed, the amount of microcapsules remaining in the care zone 341 area may be intuitively conveyed to the smoker through a visual change. That is, an effect of visually conveying the remaining period of use of the care zones 341 to the smoker can be achieved.

Meanwhile, the positions, shapes, forms, colors, sizes, number, arrangement form, or the like of the care zones 341 may be designed in various ways.

In some embodiments, as illustrated, the plurality of care zones 341 to 343 may be disposed to be spaced apart at predetermined intervals, and each of the care zones 341 to 343 may be formed in the form of a band. In this case, the microcapsules may be easily crushed due to rubbing, and aesthetics of the smoking article 300 can also be improved.

Also, in some embodiments, the plurality of care zones 341 to 343 may be formed by applying microcapsules that contain inks of different colors and different functional materials. For example, antibacterial microcapsules (that is, microcapsules that contain an antibacterial material) may be applied on a first care zone 341, deodorizing microcapsules may be applied on a second care zone 342, and perfuming microcapsules may be applied on a third care zone 343. Also, inks of different colors may be applied on the care zones 341 to 343. In this case, an effect of notifying the smoker of functions of the care zones 341 through colors can be achieved, and it is possible to provide a comprehensive finger care effect through different functional materials.

Also, in some embodiments, a care strength (or the amount of discharged functional material) of the care zones 341 may be controlled through the crushing strengths of the microcapsules. Specifically, microcapsules with a low crushing strength may be applied on the first care zone 341, and microcapsules with a high crushing strength may be applied on the second care zone 342. In this case, in the first care zone 341, a large amount of functional material may be discharged due to the smoker's rubbing motion and thus a high-strength (or intense) care function may be provided, and in the second care zone 342, a small amount of functional material may be discharged due to the smoker's rubbing motion and thus a low-strength (or mild) care function may be provided. In the present embodiment, inks of different colors or color densities may be applied on the first care zone 341 and the second care zone 342. Also, the color or color density of ink may be determined on the basis of the care strength.

For reference, the crushing strength of the microcapsules may be controlled by a film material of the microcapsules. Examples of the film material may include a biodegradable polymer material (e.g., a cellulose-based material) and a melamine-based material, but the film material is not limited thereto. According to an experimental result, microcapsules using a cellulose-based material as the film material were confirmed as having a lower crushing strength and better biodegradability as compared to microcapsules using a melamine-based material as the film material.

The smoking article 300 according to still some other embodiments of the present disclosure has been described above with reference to FIG. 3 .

The technical spirits incorporated in the embodiments described above may be combined in various forms. For example, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the flavoring sheet 240 may be applied to a wrapper (e.g., 230) of a smoking article (e.g., 200), and the care zones 341 may be formed on the outer surface of the flavoring sheet 240.

Hereinafter, the configurations and effects of a tobacco material or a smoking article (e.g., 100) to which low-nicotine tobacco leaves are added will be further clarified using examples and a comparative example. However, the following examples are only some examples of the present disclosure, and thus the scope of the present disclosure is not limited by the following examples.

Example 1

A tobacco material was produced by mixing about 10 wt % of low-nicotine tobacco leaves and about 90 wt % of general tobacco leaves. Also, the produced tobacco material was added to manufacture a cigarette having the same structure as the smoking article 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 . A cellulose acetate filter was used as a filter of the cigarette. The breeds of the low-nicotine tobacco leaves and the general tobacco leaves used in producing the tobacco material and the content of components in the leaves are shown in Table 2 below.

TABLE 2 Total Total Nicotine sugar nitrogen Classification (wt %) (wt %) (wt %) Low-nicotine bright 0.05 18.0 2.0 tobacco leaves General bright 1.97 17.0 2.0 tobacco leaves

Example 2

A cigarette identical to that of Example 1 was manufactured except that a tobacco material was produced by mixing about 20 wt % of low-nicotine tobacco leaves and about 80 wt % of general tobacco leaves.

Example 3

A cigarette identical to that of Example 1 was manufactured except that a tobacco material was produced by mixing about 30 wt % of low-nicotine tobacco leaves and about 70 wt % of general tobacco leaves.

Example 4

A cigarette identical to that of Example 1 was manufactured except that a tobacco material was produced by mixing about 40 wt % of low-nicotine tobacco leaves and about 60 wt % of general tobacco leaves.

Example 5

A cigarette identical to that of Example 1 was manufactured except that a tobacco material was produced by mixing about 50 wt % of low-nicotine tobacco leaves and about 50 wt % of general tobacco leaves.

Comparative Example 1

A cigarette identical to that of Example 1 was manufactured except that a tobacco material was produced by using general tobacco leaves only.

Table 3 below summarizes the mixing ratios of the tobacco leaves of the cigarettes according to Examples 1 to 5 and Comparative Example 1.

TABLE 3 Mixing ratio of tobacco leaves (wt %) Classification Low-nicotine General Example 1 10 90 Example 2 20 80 Example 3 30 70 Example 4 40 60 Example 5 50 50 Comparative Example 1 0 100

Experimental Example 1: Smoke Component Analysis

An experiment was conducted to analyze components of smoke of the cigarettes according to Examples 1 to 5 and Comparative Example 1. Specifically, components of smoke (e.g., mainstream smoke) generated during smoking of cigarettes that had been manufactured two weeks before were analyzed, and the experiment was conducted according to Health Canada (HC) smoking conditions using an automatic smoking device in a smoking room with a temperature of about 20° C. and humidity of about 62.5%. The smoke for component analysis was repeatedly collected three times for each sample, based on eight puffs per time, and the average values of three collection results are shown in Tables 4 and 5 below. Table 4 shows analysis results relating to tar and nicotine components, and Table 5 shows analysis results relating to nitrogen compounds. In Table 5, “total” refers to the total content of nitrogen compounds in smoke.

TABLE 4 Tar Nic. Tar/Nic. Classification (mg/cig.) (mg/cig.) (mg/cig.) Example 1 19.0 1.20 16.4 Example 2 18.4 1.04 17.7 Example 3 18.7 0.90 20.7 Example 4 18.3 0.81 22.5 Example 5 18.7 0.70 26.9 Comparative Example 1 19.2 1.23 15.7

TABLE 5 Total Pyridine 3-picoline 3-vinyl pyridine Classification (mg/cig.) (mg/cig.) (mg/cig.) (mg/cig.) Example 1 29.2 11.5 5.0 2.2 Example 2 27.3 10.7 4.4 1.8 Example 3 26.5 10.1 4.2 1.7 Example 4 27.1 10.7 4.2 1.7 Example 5 27.0 10.2 3.7 1.4 Comparative 29.3 11.6 5.1 2.2 Example 1

Referring to Table 4 above, it can be seen that the content of nicotine in the smoke of the cigarettes according to the examples are generally lower than in the cigarette according to Comparative Example 1. Also, it can be seen that the nicotine content in the smoke noticeably decreases with an increase in the proportion of the low-nicotine tobacco leaves. Since the nicotine component is a major cause of a tobacco smell, it can be seen from the above that the cigarettes according to the examples cause less tobacco smell as compared to the cigarette according to Comparative Example 1. Further, it can be seen that a tobacco smell can be further reduced by increasing the proportion of the low-nicotine tobacco leaves.

Referring to Table 5 above, it can be seen that the content of nitrogen compounds in the smoke of the cigarettes according to the examples is generally lower than in the cigarette according to Comparative Example 1. For example, it can be seen that the content of nitrogen compounds such as pyridine, 3-picoline, and 3-vinyl pyridine in the smoke of the cigarettes according to the examples was generally lower. Also, it can be seen that the content of nitrogen compounds in the smoke generally decreases with an increase in the proportion of the low-nicotine tobacco leaves. Since the nitrogen compounds such as pyridine are also a major cause of a tobacco smell, it can be seen from the above that the cigarettes according to the examples cause less tobacco smell as compared to the cigarette according to Comparative Example 1. Further, it can be seen that a tobacco smell can be further reduced by increasing the proportion of the low-nicotine tobacco leaves.

Experimental Example 2: Sensory Evaluation on Tobacco Smoke Taste Intensity

For the cigarettes according to Examples 1, 2, and 4 and Comparative Example 1, an experiment was conducted to carry out sensory evaluation of a tobacco smoke taste intensity. Specifically, the experiment for evaluating a tobacco smoke taste intensity of cigarettes that had been manufactured two weeks before was conducted by a panel of twenty-four trained evaluators.

The sensory evaluation was performed based on a comprehensive degree-of-difference test. Specifically, differences in the tobacco smoke taste intensity of the cigarettes according to the comparative example and the examples were evaluated according to seven grades as below, and then evaluation results were interpreted by applying a ⅔ cut-off technique (that is, Grades 1 and 2 were interpreted as not having a difference, and Grades 3 to 7 were interpreted as having a difference).

-   -   1: No difference     -   2: Very little difference     -   3: Slight difference     -   4: Medium difference     -   5: Slightly large difference     -   6: Large difference     -   7: Very large difference

Also, when cigarettes with a little difference in nicotine content were evaluated as having a difference (large difference) in the tobacco smoke taste intensity or when cigarettes with a large difference in nicotine content were evaluated as having no difference (little difference) in the tobacco smoke taste intensity, it was considered as an error in the sensory evaluation and thus was treated as invalid in the evaluation results (refer to parts where “1->0” is written in Table 6).

Also, using the sensory evaluation results, a proportion of low-nicotine tobacco leaves at which the panel of evaluators perceived a difference in the tobacco smoke taste intensity (that is, a threshold value) was calculated using the Best Estimation Threshold (“BET”) technique according to the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) E679-79.

The sensory evaluation results and threshold content values are shown in Tables 6 and 7 below. In Tables 6 and 7 below, “1 vs. 1” means “Comparative Example 1 vs. Example 1.” Also, in the BET-related equations below, “a” indicates the maximum proportion of the low-nicotine tobacco leaves at which the panel of evaluators did not perceive (or were expected to not perceive) a difference in the tobacco smoke taste intensity, and “b” indicates the minimum proportion of the low-nicotine tobacco leaves at which the panel of evaluators perceived (or were expected to perceive) a difference in the tobacco smoke taste intensity.

For example, in the case of P1, since the evaluator did not perceive the difference even when the proportion of the low-nicotine tobacco leaves was about 40%, the value of a was set to “0.4.” Also, the evaluator was expected to perceive the difference when the proportion of the low-nicotine tobacco leaves was about 60% or higher, and thus the value of b was set to “0.6.”

Also, in the case of P3, since the evaluator did not perceive the difference when the proportion of the low-nicotine tobacco leaves was about 20%, the value of a was set to “0.2,” and since the evaluator perceived the difference when the proportion of the low-nicotine tobacco leaves was about 40%, the value of b was set to “0.4.”

Also, in the case of P5, since the evaluator perceived the difference even when the proportion of the low-nicotine tobacco leaves was about 10%, the value of b was set to “0.1.” Also, the evaluator was expected to not perceive the difference when the proportion of the low-nicotine tobacco leaves was about 5%, and thus the value of a was set to “0.05.”

For reference, taking a log during the BET calculation process is to reduce deviation in the calculated values, and an expected threshold value may be understood as being calculated by restoring a value which was reduced due to the log. Since those of ordinary skill in the art should be sufficiently familiar with BET, detailed description of the calculation process will be omitted. ASTM E679-79 may be referenced for details on the BET.

TABLE 6 Presence/absence of difference Evaluator in intensity BET classification 1 vs. 1 2 vs. 1 4 vs. 1 √(a*b) log(√(a*b)) P1 0 1−>0 0 0.49 −0.31 P2 1−>0 0 0 0.49 −0.31 P3 0 0 1 0.28 −0.55 P4 0 0 0 0.49 −0.31 P5 1 1 1 0.07 −1.15 P6 1−>0 0 0 0.49 −0.31 P7 1−>0 0 0 0.49 −0.31 P8 0 0 0 0.49 −0.31 P9 1−>0 0 1 0.28 −0.55 P10 0 1 1 0.14 −0.85 P11 0 0 0 0.49 −0.31 P12 1−>0 0 1 0.28 −0.55

TABLE 7 Presence/absence of difference Evaluator in intensity BET classification 1 vs. 1 2 vs. 1 4 vs. 1 √(a*b) log(√(a*b)) P13 0 0 1 0.28 −0.55 P14 0 1 1 0.14 −0.85 P15 1−>0 0 1 0.28 −0.55 P16 1−>0 0 1 0.28 −0.55 P17 1−>0 1−>0 0 0.49 −0.31 P18 0 1 1 0.14 −0.85 P19 1−>0 0 0 0.49 −0.31 P20 0 0 1 0.28 −0.55 P21 1−>0 0 0 0.49 −0.31 P22 1−>0 0 1 0.28 −0.55 P23 0 1 1 0.14 −0.85 P24 1−>0 0 0 0.49 −0.31 Average (m) −0.52 Expected threshold value ((10{circumflex over ( )}−m)*10) 33.1%

Referring to Tables 6 and 7 above, it can be seen that there was almost no difference in the tobacco smoke taste intensity between the cigarettes according to Example 1 (or Example 2) and Comparative Example 1, and it can be seen that a difference in the tobacco smoke taste intensity was present to some extent between the cigarettes according to Example 4 and Comparative Example 1. This indicates that when the low-nicotine tobacco leaves are mixed in a proportion of about 40 wt % or higher, the smoker perceives a decrease in the tobacco smoke taste intensity. Therefore, it can be seen that, in order to ensure an appropriate tobacco smoke taste intensity, the low-nicotine tobacco leaves may be mixed in a proportion of about 40 wt % or lower.

Also, according to the BET calculation technique, a threshold value of the proportion of the low-nicotine tobacco leaves was calculated to be about 33.1 wt %. This indicates that most smokers do not perceive a decrease in the tobacco smoke taste intensity when the low-nicotine tobacco leaves are mixed in a proportion lower than or equal to about 33.1 wt %. Therefore, it can be seen that, in order to maximize reduction of a tobacco smell and minimize a decrease in the tobacco smoke taste intensity, the low-nicotine tobacco leaves may be mixed in a proportion around 30 wt %.

The configurations and effects of the tobacco material or the smoking article (e.g., 100) to which the low-nicotine tobacco leaves are added have been described above using the comparative example and the examples.

The embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains should understand that the present disclosure may be embodied in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features thereof. Therefore, the embodiments described above should be understood as being illustrative, instead of limiting, in all aspects. The scope of the present disclosure should be interpreted according to the claims below, and any technical spirit within the scope equivalent to the claims should be interpreted as falling within the scope of the technical spirit defined by the present disclosure. 

1. A smoking article comprising: a smoking material portion which includes a tobacco material; and a filter portion, wherein the tobacco material includes a first material formed by processing tobacco leaves whose nicotine content is 0.5 wt % or lower.
 2. The smoking article of claim 1, wherein the tobacco material includes 10 wt % to 40 wt % of the first material.
 3. The smoking article of claim 1, wherein the nicotine content of the tobacco leaves is 0.1 wt % or lower.
 4. The smoking article of claim 1, wherein the tobacco material further includes a second material formed by processing other tobacco leaves whose nicotine content is 1.0 wt % or higher.
 5. The smoking article of claim 4, wherein a weight ratio of the first material to the second material is in a range of 1:1 to 1:9.
 6. The smoking article of claim 5, wherein the weight ratio is in a range of 1:1.5 to 1:4.
 7. The smoking article of claim 4, wherein: the nicotine content of the tobacco leaves is 0.2 wt % or lower; and the nicotine content of the other tobacco leaves is 1.5 wt % or higher.
 8. The smoking article of claim 1, further comprising a filter wrapper that wraps around the filter portion, wherein a flavoring sheet including a sheet-forming agent and a flavoring is applied to at least a partial area of the filter wrapper, and a smell-reducing material is applied on an outer surface of the flavoring sheet. 